Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Nov. 19 Irans former President Mohammad Khatami, a mid-ranking cleric dubbed a moderate by the West, defended the hard-line stance of his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against the state of Israel, a semi-official daily wrote in a front-page headline on Saturday.
Khatami defends Ahmadinejads stance – Iran daily
Report stirs questions about Iran’s nuclear program
The Wall Street Journal: Under pressure from United Nations investigators, Iran has admitted receiving basic instructions on how to cast enriched uranium into a form that can be used in a nuclear weapon.
Bush and Putin want Iran to treat uranium in Russia
New York Times: Presenting a united front against Iran, President Bush and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said Friday that they would press Iran to reverse itself and accept a compromise allowing it to enrich uranium, but only in Russia and under strict controls.
UN voices serious concern about human rights violations in Iran
AFP: The UN General Assembly on Friday passed a resolution expressing “serious concern” about human rights violations in Iran, including the use of torture and public executions, and called on Tehran to end the abuses.
Iran opposition group call for release of abducted activists in Iraq
AP: An Iranian opposition group demonstrated outside the prime minister’s office Friday for the release of two men it believes are being tortured in Iraq, and called on Iran to cease “meddling” in Iraq.
Iran gives IAEA bomb part instructions
Reuters: The U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a confidential report on Friday Iran had given it a document which diplomats said included partial instructions for making the core of a nuclear bomb.
Iran still blocking access to crucial military sites: IAEA
AFP: Iran is still blocking UN nuclear inspectors from crucial military sites, the UN atomic watchdog agency reported Friday, saying full Iranian cooperation was overdue.
Bush backs Putin initiative on Iran
Reuters: U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday backed an initiative by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end a stalemate over Iran’s nuclear project as the two leaders held talks that appeared to avoid areas of open disagreement.
Torture site backs fears of pro-Iran infiltrators
Washington Times: The discovery of a secret Iraqi Interior Ministry torture chamber confirms what has been an open secret in Baghdad for months: Pro-Iranian militia have deeply infiltrated the ministry and are acting as a law unto themselves.
Germany’s Merkel hits out at Iran over regional threats
Reuters: Angela Merkel expressed strong support for Israel on Thursday, a sign postwar Germany’s ties with the country will stay close when she takes over as chancellor next week.
